While Perry has said that at the first opportunity his family
painted over the offensive name,
the Post reports that as recently as 2008 the name may have
been visible. Perry used the camp to host retreats throughout his
career in state government — with many attendees recalling seeing
the name to this day.

While the Perry campaign is denying anything improper occurred,
the report is sure to distract the campaign from its message — at
a time when establishment Republicans are looking toward New
Jersey Gov. Chris Christie as their savior.

Perry has yet to convince many in his party that he can appeal to
independents and defeat President Barack Obama and news like this
is moving his campaign in the wrong direction.

"That isn’t a more vile, negative word than the N word and for
him to leave it there as long as he did before, I hear, that they
finally painted over it, is just plain insensitive to a lot of
black people in this country," he said on Fox News Sunday.

In a statement, Perry Communications Director Ray
Sullivan said the following:

"A number of claims made in the story are incorrect,
inconsistent, and anonymous, including the implication that Rick
Perry brought groups to the lease when the word on the rock was
still visible. The one consistent fact in the story is that the
word on a rock was painted over and obscured many years ago.

"Gov. Perry and his family never owned, controlled or managed the
property referenced in the Washington Post story. The 42,000-acre
ranch is owned by the Hendricks Home for Children, a West Texas
charity. http://www.hendrickhome.com/

"Perry’s father painted over offensive language on a rock soon
after leasing the 1,000-acre parcel in the early 1980s. When Gov.
Perry was party to the hunting lease from 1997 to 2007, the
property was described as northern pasture. He has not been to
the property since 2006.